Golden Plains music festival is back after a COVID-related hiatus. And LR is back with a special music-related cryptic/quick hybrid crossword gracing the festival booklet.
For those who couldn’t make it, here it is. Enjoy!
CLICK HERE TO SEE FULL SIZE IMAGE
The giver of this puzzle got it framed and added photos - a nice touch!
A personalised crossword makes a really memorable gift for a puzzle lover. Here is a little bit of behind-the-scenes info about how I approach my gift crosswords.
As a professional crossword writer, I have constructed puzzles for birthdays, anniversaries, weddings, retirements and even funerals. By the end of every project I feel like I know the subject like my own family member, because of all the time I’ve spent wordplaying their with life’s glossary.
Whether it’s your maths teacher’s retirement or your bestie’s hen’s night in the Barossa, I always like to start with long list of words about your special person. I need to know everything about them - their favourite movie, the street they grew up on, their middle name, star sign, allergies, everything!
The more words I have, the better chance I have at creating a dense puzzle grid with plenty of intersecting letters, which makes it easier to solve. After all, the last thing you want is a recipient who can’t solve a puzzle about themself!
I have a ”brainstorming template” I give out to help dream up the list of answers. Some of the things that end up on the word list are hilarious, bizarre and always pretty personal!
Once I get my hands on the information, I can expand on the word list further. For example if I know the subject is a huge tennis fan then I can use words like ACE, LOB or LET to connect difficult parts of the grid.
By the time I’ve created a crossword for a seventieth birthday, for example, I’ve usually experienced the highs and lows of a lifetime. My subjects have served in the army, beaten cancer, raised families, volunteered in Africa, divorced, run triathlons… you name it, I’ve clued it. It’s such an intimate process that I always feel blessed to be involved in creating such a profound present. And it’s made even better when I get messages from the recipient afterwards about how much they enjoyed it.
It’s always an in-depth task to make one of these puzzles, but I have a range of gift crosswords to suit various budgets. For the finished product I can lay out the puzzle in the variou styles of well-known newspapers, right down to the font.
Do you know someone who might be chuffed by a crossword all about how special they are? Email LR@LRLR.com.au and let’s make their day! Check out the gallery of my personalised puzzles here.
Weddings and crosswords seem to be a match made in heaven. Whether it’s the proposal, an activity for guests on the big day itself, or an anniversary gift - I have so many stories to share about how a personalised puzzle has enhanced the experience of romantic puzzlers.
This is one of my favourites - Will approached me to sneak a marriage proposal into The Saturday Paper crossword and it worked out better than anyone could have hoped. Check out the video below which tells the story.
Interested in a custom crossword? Check out some examples here and get in touch to check my availability.
Listening out for a new podcast about crosswords? Well listen no further than the Off Grid Pod - it’s a conversation ramble which springs from a shared crossword solve. As planned, the talk rapidly takes a tangential twist, leaving the initial puzzle chat a distant memory.
Fans of cryptics will no doubt enjoy learning something new in every episode, starring Dave, Void and The General.
Test your book smarts with this new crossword.
In this interview, we chatted about getting a foot into the crossword industry, shrinking attention spans, finding a zen state via puzzles, and I threw in an Oscar Wilde quote for good measure. I also give a shout out to my pals from The Good Copy’s Crossword Club (which I inexactly referred to as Collingwood Crossword Club in the audio.)
I had the pleasure of talking all things wordplay with Fauziah Ibrahim on ABC Weekend Breakfast. We discussed the joys of finding humour and hidden meanings in your daily word puzzles and how I go about making my crosswords.
Video courtesy of ABC.